Base or primary gaming devices such as slot machines, video poker machines, blackjack machines and keno machines are well-known. Bonus or secondary games initiated as a result of an outcome of these primary games are also well known. Typically, the player's performance in the primary game does not affect the player's performance in the secondary game. That is, besides triggering the bonus game, the base game is normally different than the bonus game, and the two games operate independent of each other.
One known exception to this is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,255 B1, which discloses a “bonus resource” that a player may obtain during the base game. The player can thereafter apply the bonus resource in the bonus game to override an event that would otherwise end the bonus round. In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,155,925 discloses a bonus game having a payout percentage that varies with the amount of the player's base game wager.
In a further example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,894 B1 discloses a primary and a secondary game that both include slot machine reels and symbols. The number of paylines that the player plays in the base or main game determines the number of chances that the player has in the secondary or bonus game. In another embodiment of this patent, symbol combinations generated by the main game determine the number of chances that the player has in the secondary or bonus game.
While these known games allow a base component to affect the bonus game, the interaction between the secondary or bonus game and the base game outcomes is limited. A need therefore exists to provide a bonus game that more closely interacts with the base game. Further, slot machines and video poker machines make up the majority of existing gaming devices. Needless to say, both have become very popular. With the continuing demand for more entertaining and exciting gaming devices, a need exists to provide new types of games, such as a game having elements of both slot and poker.